arm and leg on the opposite side of her body. >> dr. sanjay daul, thank you. this attempt to silence malala was all because she declared her right to go to school. the taliban have vowed to shoot her again. and on that, thanks so much for being with me this week. i'm brooke baldwin. let's send you to washington. wolf blitzer, to you. thanks very much. happening now, a brand new cnn poll from the critically important swing state of florida. it's the most important state as far as electoral votes that are still up for grabs. standby. we're about to release the number. also, after a night of trading some light hearted one-liners, president obama tosses a new and very barbed laugh line at mitt romney. and a car bomb shakes beirut's fragile peace, kills one of lebanon's top critics of the bashar al assad regime in syria. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

with just 18 days to go until the presidential election, we begin this hour with important information just into "the situation room" from the state of florida. our brand new cnn/orc poll shows the state remains up for grabs. mitt romney's 49% to 48% lead over president obama is within the poll's plus or minus four-point sampling error. cnn's chief national correspondent john king is standing by. florida, florida, it's still florida, florida, florida. >> a dead heat. but that is momentum for mitt romney. if you look back two months ago when we polled among likely voters the president had a four-point lead, right at the margin of error. governor romney now with the lead. the campaign increasingly

confident about the state of florida and obama campaign concedes it's going his way. they've been spending as much as governor romney on television $5 million just last week to keep it close. why is it like this? a big generational gap in florida. voters under the age of 50 a huge advantage for president obama. but on those medicare attacks are not working so well 36%, to 56% among romney. that's a plus for the romney campaign in florida. talked about a generational gap. there's also an income gap. look at this. the president with a big advantage of those making under $50,000 a year. but among those that make $50,000 a year or more, the republican ticket has the advantage there by about the same amount. a generational gap and income gap. when you talk about a big battleground state you talk about how are they doing in the suburbs. why this is so close is among independents and suburbs, a dead heat. tied among independents and suburban voters.

the romney campaign has a bigger lead. the obama campaign does not dispute that. what happens is they make these key calculations. with time running short in the race, imagine if this one is trending governor romney's way. this is where we stand coming into the day. just for the sake of this argument the democrats aren't ready to concede this but they're starting to think they might have to concede the state of florida. we're already seeing evidence that north carolina is moving governor romney's this way. if these two things happen, you get parody. then have seven leftover toss-up states and that would be the big calculation. if florida keeps trending romney's way and he can hold that, if north carolina is as solid as you think it is, then you have quite the fight. >> they think north carolina is solid for the republicans. >> the obama campaign doesn't dispute that. a great ground operation says things can change in two weeks. the thing to watch here is no campaign is going to say we concede florida, but watch the tv ad spending. the president in florida last week spent $5 million.

almost twice as much as romney campaign just to hold things. is it worth spending so much just to hold it close or cut it in half and spend it in ohio, nevada, colorado. >> with 18 days to go, gloria borger, in florida it's incredibly tight there. you've been looking at how important florida is. >> well, look. florida's always an important battleground state. i think the difference between the two campaigns is that mitt romney's campaign really needs to win florida if it's going to win the election. the obama campaign can lose florida and still find a path in the electoral college as john was just showing. and in talking to democrats, i'm getting the same sense that john is getting which is that the democrats are not feeling very optimistic about winning the state of florida. republicans are more optimistic. the romney campaign believes there's more of a margin than our poll shows on their behalf, but they need florida. and when you see that in the midwest the obama campaign is

making some leeway, they need florida even more. >> some other swing states new polling numbers that are out in iowa right now this is the nbc "the wall street journal" poll, obama is ahead 51%, 43%. wisconsin, same poll. these states obviously pretty important to a path of victory as well. >> that's alarming to the romney campaign. an eight-point lead in one state, a six-point lead in another. these are taken right after the debate where the president had a lot more energy. let's see if the president's bounce holds. walk back over, wolf, show you. in this calculation if i gave florida to romney and north carolina to romney, if those iowa and wisconsin numbers hold and say the president were to get these two states in the midwest, what happens then? the president then is at 253, governor romney 235. and this is the calculation, this is the big fight in the campaign. if the president's doing better in iowa, doing better in wisconsin, what else is jumping out at you in the midwest? i just got off a plane an hour ago from the state of ohio.

that's a state, wolf, where you look at the map, ohio come back to it in the conversation, the president's up two, maybe three, nobody disputes that. the romney campaign says it's a little less. the feeling on the ground is the president's still ahead. if he can lock up those midwestern states, he's re-elected. >> you're looking closer inside these numbers. what else are you seeing? >> well, if you look particularly at the iowa and wisconsin voters, take a look, women voters, we've heard a lot about women voters. there's been a lot of talk about women voters. if you look at the president's strength, you see right now it's with women. wisconsin likely voters you see 57%, 39% among women for the president. look at iowa among women, almost identically 57%, 38%. so if the obama campaign can widen this gender gap, which you know different polls this election have shown different things. but they believe the people in the obama campaign believe that

this gender gap is the key to their victory. and that it will remain the way it is particularly after the last debate. >> the advertising has shifted to reinforce that point. >> exactly. >> you see the president doing more ads about contraception, womens rights. governor romney with a new ad saying i would work with democrats. that's aimed at women and suburbanites that want it to work. >> gallup poll showing social issues particularly abortion top on women's list. that's why those ads look the way they do. >> romney has an ad saying he supports exceptions in cases. as gloria says, women vote in bigger percentages than men. >> women from the romney campaign point of view women vote on the economy. and that's what's going to be what they're hammering home. >> a lot more coming up on this. with monday's debate around the corner, both vice

presidential candidates are campaigni ining today in florid. jim acosta has more on the battle for florida and this year's other swing states. what else are you picking up, jim? >> reporter: wolf, as that cnn/orc poll demonstrated, florida's still the ultimate swing state. we are in the ultimate swing area the i-4 corridor interstate 4 stretching from tampa to daytona beach, florida. even though it's early you can hear the makings of closing arguments from both campaigns from mitt romney saying the president doesn't have a plan and from the president saying romney doesn't have a core. while mitt romney prepared for his final debate with president obama, his running mate, paul ryan, traveled across florida testing out the campaign's message for the next battle to come, for swing state voters. >> president obama is not telling you what his second term

plan would be. he's not saying that he's offering anything new. all he's offering is four more years of the same. >> we have to work on a collaborative basis. >> reporter: another part of that swing state pitch can be found in this new romney campaign ad that casts the gop nominee as a bipartisan problem solver. >> we need to have leadership. leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or democrat. >> reporter: it's a change in tone for a candidate who once called himself a severely conservative governor during the primaries prompting the president to accuse romney of etch-a-sketching his past. >> we've got to name this condition he's going through. i think it's called romnesia. >> reporter: the president is getting a boost from new state unemployment numbers showing the jobless rate dropping in florida, ohio, nevada, colorado

and wisconsin. romney had a joke for the improving economy at a benefit dinner in new york where he and the president exchanged punch lines. >> you're better off now than you were four weeks ago. >> friday's map reads like a calendar. the more candidates and surrogates flooding into battlegrounds, the closer the election. >> the american people are so much better. so much stronger. it takes so much more responsibility. neither congressman ryan nor governor romney give them credit for. >> reporter: newspaper endorsements are also starting to come in after picking president obama four years ago, the orlando sentinel chose romney saying we have little confidence that obama would be more successful managing the economy and the budget in the next four years. but the denver post stayed with the president saying the economy has made demonstrable though hardly remarkable progress. soon, the race coming down to a handful of swing states won't be a laughing matter. >> in less than three weeks, voters in states like ohio, virginia and florida will decide

this incredibly important election. which begs the question, what are we doing here? >> reporter: now, as for that one-liner from the president on the gop nominee suffering from what he called romnesia, i have a response from the romney campaign "president obama can't get serious on the campaign trail. he's conducting a small campaign that fails to rise up to the big challenges the country is facing." and, wolf, getting back to that swing state calendar, after the debate on monday, their final debate on monday, romney and ryan are heading to colorado. the president will be right here in florida, wolf. >> yeah. they're going to spend a lot of time in florida. all of these presidential and vice presidential candidates. as we mentioned, the vice president, joe biden, he's campaigning in florida right now. in fact, he's at a rally in ft. peace north of west palm beach. let's listen in. >> it's a bad disease. and it's contagious. because all of a sudden paul

ryan the budget hawk, the guy who introduced a whole budget plan that actually already passed -- it already passed the house of representatives, all of a sudden he doesn't remember it. he doesn't remember it. he doesn't remember what it actually does to the vital programs that mean so much to ordinary people. he says it doesn't cut, it just slows growth. folks, you know, ryan's saying his budget doesn't decimate medicare and medicaid, e vis rate education, mitt romney standing in an unemployment line in florida standing to a guy saying, look, i didn't outsource your job, i outshored it. when i criticize him for being this great outsourcer, i talk about bain capital, remember i was doing that a couple months ago and pointing out the truth about how many jobs he sent overseas, spokesman for romney said the problem is vice

president biden doesn't understanding the difference between outsourcing and offshoring. tell that to the guy who lost his job because it went overseas. ladies and gentlemen, as the president said the day after the debate, romney's plans the president said are awful sketchy. now, i'm reluctant -- i'm reluctant to correct the president, but -- but, they weren't sketchy. they are etch-a-sketchy. they've got this etch-a-sketch out shaking that baby up. you hardly recognize them. were it not for the same tie, i wouldn't recognize the man. look, it's time for people so much is at stake in this election, it's time for people who want to lead this country to stand up and say what they believe and make the case for what they believe. stay what they're for. stand by what they say.

and stop trying to hide the ball on the american people. you know they say, they say they value the middle class. i found the most fascinating thing about their convention was they stood up there and it's like they looked out and said, oh, my god, there's a middle class. remember, they talk more about the middle class at their convention they did the previous two years. all of a sudden there's as my mom would say their heart was bleeding for the middle class. and they say they value the middle class. and they value middle class values. my dad used to have an expression. my dad's name was joe as well. someone would come up to him and say, joe, let me tell you what i value. and my dad would look at them and say, charlie, don't tell me what you value. show me your budget and i will tell you what you value. show me your budget, i will tell you what you value. >> so the vice president of the united states joe biden at that rally in ft. pierce, florida. they're going to be spending a

lot of time in florida. he's going after mitt romney big-time right now. we'll monitor what he's saying. stand by for more. so what's going on with this? new billboards are going up with a stern warning out there about something the government says isn't really much of a problem. and we also have the latest on who may have been the target of a deadly car bombing today. you've been busy for a dead man. after you jumped ship in bangkok, i thought i'd lost you. surfing is my life now. but who's going to .... tell the world that priceline has even faster, easier ways to save you money. . . on hotels, flights & cars? you still have it. i'll always have it. so this is it? we'll see where the waves take me. sayonara, brah!

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let's get the latest now from cnn's nick payton-walsh. what's the latest on the death count as a result of this car bombing, nick. >> reporter: we do still to appear to be at three dead. those are top intelligence officials a line to the pro-western government coalition here spearheading many controversial investigations here consequently having many enemies. his death causing great fear here that the sectarian divisions that have racked this country for a decade during its civil war and play now in the civil war across the border in syria may finally have drifted across the border causing violence here. it's what all lebanon prayed would not happen. a car bomb in its commercial heart. a huge explosion tearing through cars like paper. felt across the city once torn apart hoping it would never again see the kind of mall strum swallowing syria.

in the end, a top intelligence official said to have been killed. as you can see from the pandemonium around me people in the center of beirut here rocked by this explosion perhaps their worst fears awakened by this blast, the fear that really the violence swelling across the border for months may finally have manifested itself here. the target was al hassan. his unrecognizable body and personal effects found at the scene we're told. one leading anti-syrian politician blamed damascus for the blast. syria condemned the bomb. the injured like lebanon struggling to comprehend what happened and bearing their worst fears. i came home, he says, and there was nothing. suddenly as i was eating a loud noise went off. my ears went deaf. glass came into my food and i couldn't eat anymore. in the days ahead as the dead are buried and the injured

healed lebanon's fragile society will learn whether this blast drags it back into the shadows. wolf, this really was a remarkably precise killing here targeting a man who should have been as a top intelligence official here very able to keep himself deeply secure. so the questions are, who would have been capable of such a strike? his group here saying they're condemning it entirely. the syrian government themselves accused by many of mr. al hassan's allies also condemned it. people still trying to point the finger the greatest being we're finally seeing these explosions in what should be the safest commercial heart of the capital here rocking the lebanese people and making them absolutely terrified of dark days ahead remembering the 1980s and how sectarian strike tore this place apart. >> i remember those days vividly. i was in beirut in the early '80s. obviously the deepest concern right now is that the war, the struggle, the slaughter that's going on in syria, there's great

fear it could spread not only to lebanon but to turkey, other places as well. nick, let me read to you and our viewers a statement at least that the white house has just released among other things the white house saying "the united states condemns in the strongest terms terrorist attack in beirut that killed lebanese internal security forces information bureau director. our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those killed and injured in this heinous attack. and with the lebanese people who have sacrificed greatly to overcome war and violence, lebanon security and stability are vital both for the lebanese people and their neighbors. there is no justification for using assassination as a political tool." we'll have more on this story as it develops. as lebanon reels from today's bombing, a new international push to stop the fighting in syria is just getting underway. c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate.

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a move to end the slaughter in syria. lisa sylvester's monitoring that, some of the other top stories in "the situation room" right now. what's the latest? >> hi, wolf, u.n. arab league calling for cease fire in syria's civil war by the muslim religious holiday next thursday. today an envoy arrived in damascus to appeal to the syrian government as war planes pounded rebels. opposition groups say at least 110 people killed, more than 30,000 people have died in the conflict now in its 19th month. and india, well, it got its first starbucks today. most indians start their day with a steaming cup of milky chai tea. the market in the world's second most populous country could double in the next five years to more than $500 million.

the new mumbai store puts starbucks in its 61st country. and a fork in the road is usually better fork for a decisive moment in life. but in the coastal california town of carlsbad, an artist took that saying literally. he created a whimsical statue and place the id where two roads actually branched. okay, the city however not too pleased. yesterday it ripped out the fork calling it neither safe nor legal. officials did add though they appreciate the creativity. all of his hard work just like that, wolf, gone. >> literally a fork in the road. >> it's a fork in the road. i like it. >> artistic. could have put it on the side maybe. >> but it might have been defeated his whole concept, his artistic vision if you will. >> he's an artist. thank you. the presidential candidates are done with the jokes. now they're turning a bit serious. once again ahead of monday's final debate our special panel will discuss. and we're just getting our hands on new pictures of the benghazi

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things may have gotten pretty tense during tuesday's presidential debate between president obama and governor romney, but when they got together again last night it was all about making you laugh. >> in the spirit of sesame street, the president's remarks tonight are brought to you by the letter o and the number $16 trillion. >> i was attacked like a celebrity because of our allies overseas. i'm impressed how well governor romney has avoided that. >> with white tie and fine winery, so little time, so much to redistribute. >> how many times a week does biden show up in a wet bathing suit to a meeting? just the ballpark figure. >> i had to put up a

presidential restriction on that. >> you got to put towels down. >> i got to say, he looked pretty good. straight to sirius xm radio host pete dominick with our excellent panel. pete. >> thank you very much, wolf blitzer. great to be here on a friday edition of "the situation room." a female edition. it's still breast cancer awareness in october. >> it is. >> how important is comedy? i gave this advice a few weeks ago, they should use more comedy, the al smith dinner, does it make a difference? did anything happen last night? did anybody get an advantage? did anybody move up in any polls because of good jokes? >> nobody moved up, but i think the process moved up. we've had a very contentious testy debate a couple nights before and i think it shows what we are in america. we can be fighting one night, we can be laughing the next. i think it's a good thing for our country to see this snip-it, this oasis in comedy in a very long desert of fighting. >> then today you see the

romnesia. trying to be funny, but i think the humor also helps to put things in perspective. not just like what the country's based on but the campaign itself. i think obama's doing a better job of framing the issues by kind of being lighter about them. >> that's funny. i don't find this romnesia thing as funny as you do. >> wait to show the flip-flop. >> it works because it falls right into a narrative that people already believe and it does it in a funny way. it wouldn't work if people didn't actually believe it a little bit. and the fact that president obama enjoys it so much when he's out there on the road -- >> exactly. i'm glad to see him laughing. >> he didn't enjoy the first debate. >> we all know humor cuts through. humor is how you can make a point. you can underscore it. it gets people engaged. ordinary people going about their daily lives heavy and monotonous and get to see humor and it clicks.

maybe it reinforces a narrative. one of my unsolicited advice last week was that romney should consider going on "saturday night live." he's one of these guys when he shows up and makes fun of himself, you're the professional comic, so i'll let you apine, but it does make him more human. >> i'll tell you what, last night romney had the better writers. obama gave the better performance. president obama seasoned and he thrives in those situations. romney is a little more nervous. >> tag romney his son said he's terrified in these debates but then walked it back. you've got to have your writers and "saturday night live" writers are not in the tank for romney. >> let's be clear -- >> it wouldn't be a complex negotiation and the snl writers might not be on board. >> there's a big history obviously in politics. for the last two weeks candidates changing it up a little bit, trying to bring humor into it. even sarah palin went on saturday night live. i think that helped her in terms of loosening her up a little

bit. the risk for a guy who just doesn't have the comfort zone there is too great. >> let's be clear about something, neither of these two guys is funny. being funny is when people who are not on your payroll are not your blood relatives think your funny. >> i don't know. i think obama's got kind of a natural drive with it. >> you think he's funny? >> yeah. >> that's funny. >> i spent 15 years and still spend a lot of time doing stand-up comedy. we can sit here and decide what we think is funny and argue about that for a long time. >> people pay to see you be funny. there must be something to it. >> you're judging by politician, not professional. he goes on "the daily show." he's made a practice of it. i think it shows he's willing to laugh at himself. he made a good joke about his first debate performance. and incidentally i want to say i think obama has bounced back from that first debate performance. he's willing to go up there. romney may not be willing to do the same thing. >> that's the purpose of being

at those dinners. >> also he did a great job with humor and other things bouncing back from the first debate because it was pretty bad and now he seems to have hit his stride. i think monday he can really close it. >> next week it's the final debate, a foreign policy debate. is there anything that can be said in this debate that changes the course of the remaining 18 ta days in this campaign? >> no. we can pretend that americans look out beyond our borders and focus on it a lot, but they don't. >> they should. >> but we don't. >> i disagree. >> in fact, in so many ways if we did, we wouldn't have gotten as far down in the war with iraq and other places we did, but we wouldn't have handed those decisions over to leaders. and there's pretty much nothing foreign policy wise that i think is going to change the narrative. people know the president strong on terrorism, got osama bin laden and our allies like us better. the only thing that's going to change the outcome of this race

is what the voter turnout numbers are in the battleground states and who gets out to vote. >> ana may agree with me, the reason democrats think foreign policy will have nothing to do with the final say in this election is that there's a sincere and serious vulnerability on foreign policy with president obama in terms of -- >> versus romney? >> -- how the administration has handled the most recent conflict in foreign policy. >> you really think people care about that? >> if mitt romney can make the case that it fits into a larger narrative of an unraveling of control over his own administration, in other words, secretary of energy who can't control gas prices, an attorney general who's held in contempt of congress and doesn't know what happened over the past period something -- >> i don't know how you can say that with a straight face and keep going. there's just no scenario where, you know, a fight over he said/she said in a rose garden really has an impact. >> obama was willing to stand and look into the cameras and say, listen, i'm the president. hold me responsible. they tried to defer it to the

secretary of state, he said, no, it's my government. it's my country. i think regular people like to see elected officials -- >> how many days did that take, mr. mayor? >> he did it -- and romney found out the day of it. >> no. no how many days. no did he say terror. hold on. we got to take a break. >> any time you've got 70 million people watching and 90 minutes of these guys speaking, yes, there is an opportunity for there to be gaffes or problems. >> we'll wait and see next week. we'll come back here and we'll give everybody our unsolicited advice right here in "the situation room." everyone has goals. take the steps to reach yours, with us with real advice, for real goals. the us bank wealth management advisor can help you. every step of the way. from big steps, to little steps. since 1863 we've helped guide our clients,

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welcome back to wolf's "the situation room." i'm pete dominick. i have stolen it with my awesome panel of brilliant commentaries. margaret hoover. >> my unsuspected target is mark sullivan, the head of the secret service. and my unsolicited advice is to pick up a book called diagnosing and changing unconditional culture. dhs inspector general's office come out with a report that suggests maybe the culture of impropriety is actually really rampant in the secret service rather than just having a few one-off bad incidents as service members soliciting prostitutes in colombia. apparently this may be far more widespread perhaps endemic

within the secret service. massive cultural overhaul is probably needed. hopefully mark sullivan has not perjured himself. >> what's the name of this book again? >> "diagnosing and changing organizational culture." >> i'm pretty sure -- >> more organizations that want to read that. >> i'm pretty sure the secret service are the only business guys who go on a trip and use prostitutes. >> representing the united states of and compromising national security. >> on the public dime. >> on the public dime. >> i'm not saying it's okay. >> there are some bad apples. we also have to recognize there are a lot of brave men willing to take a bullet. and we've got to commend the secret service. >> my cousin is a secret service agent and he's gotten award after award as well as award for being a great father and a great husband. and i know that's not what you are saying, but i think that might be some pretty good advice. >> well, mine's equally serious but off politics. my advice is to parents because today's actually spirit day. and i'm not wearing the purple.

ana's wearing the purple. i'm going to point to her purple. spirit day is a day to bring attention to lgbt bullying. and it's an important issue. more and more kids are experiencing this rather than fewer and fewer kids. and it's up to all parents whether you think your kid is involved or not, to make sure you have those conversations because this is -- bullying has become an epidemic among our kids. >> what are the resources for kitsds getting bullied? >> that is a great question. there are all sorts of great websites. there's actually spiritday.org you can go to. >> cool. >> the hrc.org is another one that has good resources as well. >> ana, who's your advice for? >> i changed my advice after the first panel. my advice is to all americans. folks, tgif, thank god it's friday. we are very close to the election. things are getting heated. we're in the weekend. let's take a break.

put our partisan knives down. let's go have a drink with our democrat friends, with our republican friends, let's be civil for at least one day before we retake this up again on monday for the debate. hilary, see you after this. >> we're going drinking. >> can i come? >> yeah. you're in. >> mr. mayor, are you in? >> absolutely. and i'll join to follow you, i think to follow the comment about foreign policy and the debate on monday. i think that obama has a great opportunity, both to show the strength that he has been able to have with his foreign policy and with his defense. and then also to kind of put things in perspective, i don't think that's happened enough for obama. i think he needs to say this is where we were with the war in iraq. this is where we were with osama bin laden. compare it also to domestic problems we were having four years ago. there has been a lot of change. there has been a lot of progress. i see him doing that on monday night and closing out for the rest of the campaign. >> my hope is that mitt romney

does completely the opposite. >> romney is good -- >> let me tell you what my hope is -- >> he's good at pointing the finger. but he doesn't have any solutions. >> you know what though, the guy who's in charge as you said who took responsibility and i think benghazi does matter to the american people. you're talking about four americans in service of the country who got killed. >> and look at all the other policy successes. >> i hope mitt romney really takes the opportunity to really give intense conversation on that. he didn't in the second -- >> yield to me for my unsolicited advice, but i will say on this, they're not really that far apart on foreign policy. don't let them fool you. >> as a record. >> true. my unsolicited advice is for men specifically republican men like todd akin and joe walsh who don't seem to have any idea how a woman's body works. last night joe walsh, congressman joe walsh of illinois said abortions are absolutely never necessary. never necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. actually, my good friend who is

a health policy expert and a pediatrician has a great blog entry on the incidentaleconomist.com entitled when facts don't meet your world view, stop talking. okay. we shouldn't listen to todd akin about how women get pregnant. we shouldn't listen to congressman joe walsh about whether or not women can die if they are pregnant and may need an abortion. we shouldn't listen to me or the mayor about hair care advice. i will yield to women every time and doctors about how your bodies work. and i will let you decide the choices that you need to make to stay healthy. and men that have no idea should stay out of it or stop talking. >> such a great point. i'll just end that we ought to add the men of the supreme court of the united states to that list because those are the scary guys that mitt romney will appoint. so you couldn't be more right. >> i'll tell you, let me tell you something, the democrat senate candidate from arizona last night did a very smart --

unpleasant remark about candy crowley. it's enough picking on candy. it's enough picking on women. if you have nothing good to say, don't say it. >> you're entitled to your own opinion, not your own science. speaking of very smart men, let's head back to wolf blitzer. after all, it is his situation room. thanks for letting us borrow it. >> excellent unsolicited advice, guys. thanks very much. other news we're following including doctors in england putting a new update on the pakistani girl shot by the taliban because she stood up for girls rights to go to school. le. anne's tablet was chatting with a tablet in sydney... a desktop in zurich... and a telepresence room in brazil. the secure cloud helped us get some numbers from my assistant's pc in new york. and before i reached the top, the board meeting became a congrats we sold the company party. wait til my wife's phone hears about this. [ cellphone vibrating ] [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center, working together has never worked so well.

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a 14-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by taliban gunmen is making progress. lisa sylvester's monitoring

that, some of the other top stories in "the situation room" right now. what are you learning? >> wolf, really good news on that front. medical officials treating malala yousufzai in london say she stood for the first time today and is communicating in writing. she cannot speak yet because of a tube protecting her airway. doctors say the young teenager who defied the taliban by standing up for education is recovering well but is not yet out of the woods. and the man charged in the shooting death of florida teenager trayvon martin was back in court today. george zimmerman's lawyers want to make martin's school records public. martin's family says those records are irrelevant. zimmerman's trial is set for next june. he says he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old last february. and something hilary rosen just mentioned a few minutes ago, you might have noticed people wearing purple around you today. there's a good reason for that. in honor of spirit day, the white house is joining millions of americans by standing up against bullying showing support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender young people. other celebrities, including wolf here and including me, we are all dressed in purple to do the part. so love the purple tie. you will see a lot of us wearing purple today. >> lovely purple sweater you're wearing. >> thank you very much. it's for a great cause, wolf. >> thank you. we're starting to see a push to stop voter fraud, but some people say there's an al tier yor motive. new pictures of the benghazi compound before last month's attack that's raising new questions. starts with ground be, unions, and peppers baked in a ketchup glaze with savory gravy and mashed russet potatoes. what makes stouffer's meatloaf best of all? that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. let's fix dinner.

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beautiful pictures in australia meanwhile a kangaroo hangs out at the fourth hole of the international golf tournament. india, drum troop waits to be hired. hot shots, pictures coming in from around the world. political signs and billboards are sprouting up everywhere, but there are strong suspicions some of them aren't connected with candidates or issues but just plain dirty politics. our crime and justice correspondent joe johns is working this story for us. what's going on, joe? >> wolf, you might think voter fraud is a massive problem given all the attention it's getting this year despite the fact that a justice department study said it was an issue in far less than 1% of the votes cast between 2002 and 2005. so are new ads about voter fraud intended to inform voters or intimidate them? voter fraud is a felony. billboards with this simple and factual message are stirring up controversy in two battleground

states. here's why voting rights activists like eric marshal are upset. >> yes, voter fraud is a felony. but it's the way they're being displayed and the fact that they're in almost exclusively areas or around areas predominantly african-american or latino. >> reporter: the billboards have been popping up in cities in ohio and wisconsin. 85 in milwaukee, 30 in columbus, another 30 in cleveland and 31 in cincinnati. protests started almost as soon as they went up demanding the signs come down. >> this billboard is nothing but a symbol of pure unadulterated suppression to target an african-american community. >> reporter: the two advertising companies that sold the space, clear channel and norton outdoor, say the buyer was not out to target minorities. >> there was no request for any specific demographic target at all. they wanted the best locations they could get for those four weeks leading up to the election. >> reporter: the bigamist ri is

who's behind them? the billboard itself does not tell. it reads paid for by a private family foundation. and neither company will say who that is. after declining an on camera interview, here's what clear channel wrote to cnn. "the advertiser put into the contract to remain anonymous. it is our policy to require advertisers including political advertisers to have disclaimers which to identify them. unfortunately, that policy was not followed in this case. he sees that as a warning. >> no one's stepping forward and explaining why, that's part of the problem. if these werin ob would you say, why would you negotiate in your contract with clear channel a confidentiality clause to stay hidden? >> reporter: bottom line, mike norton, who's family owns norton outdoors. >> a, it's accurate, and b, that they're not attack ads. this fell well within the realm of reason on both of those

benchmarks. >> these billboards are scheduled to be up through election day. and neither company has any plans to take them down before then. voting rights groups have raised $30,000 to put up their own billboards in cleveland and milwaukee encouraging everyone to vote. so looks like it's going to be battle of the billboards in parts of the midwest, wolf. >> looks like it. joe johns, thank you. you're in "the situation room." happening now, top republican lawmakers confronting the white house saying more warnings were ignored before the deadly consulate attack. and a republican congressman ignites a political fire storm calling the decision to allow an abortion when the mother's life at risk a political "tool." what it could mean for his heated re-election battle. just when you thought the presidential race couldn't get nastier, the candidates soften in a rare moment of comic

relief. >> nice to finally relax and to wear what ann and i wear around the house. >> i had a lot more energy in our second debate. i felt really well rested after the nice long nap i had in the first debate. >> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." could be more potentially damaging evidence against the white house in the wake of the libya attack that killed the united states ambassador and three other americans. top republicans on capitol hill have just sent a letter to president obama. they are charging again that repeated requests for increased security were not only rejected by the administration before the attack occurred, but also undermined the diplomatic

mission of the united states in the region. cnn foreign affairs reporter elise labott has been going through the documents. elise is joining us right now. what are you learning, elise? >> wolf, the committee on oversight on government reform released about 100 documents -- over 100 documents. one of the things you get, wolf, is really the heightened concern about the unraveling security situation in benghazi in the months leading up to the attacks. one cable from june 25th, about two weeks after the consulate was already attacked by an ied, look at the pictures of the aftermath, wolf. you can see the damage to the outside of the main building, which was really extensive. i was told by extra security personnel brought in to guard the building until it was fixed. and the cable said that the libyans believed this attack and others against westerners were the work of extremists opposed to western influence in libya. serious concerns, wolf, about this libyans' ability to protect the americans. a cable from august 8th, a month before the attack said even the

head of the libyan supreme security council admitted his own men had not coalessed into an effective stable security force. a lot of concern there about not only the security but the lib n libyans ability to protect the americans. >> what about requests for extra security? >> one of the most interesting documents was an exchange with eric nordstrom. he was the lead security officer in libya who testified last week about hearing. he said as early as february he was warning he didn't have enough men. he was curtailing diplomats to get in benghazi. couldn't even move around because he didn't have enough men. and the u.s. felt it was so important in this election period to get out there. he warned having no movements of almost upwards of ten days severely limited operations in benghazi. wolf, he goes onto say i have been placed in a very difficult spot. and the security professionals warned that five armed guards,

most of, you know, the other countries in benghazi at the time had about five security guards. the u.s. wanted five, sometimes there were five. sometimes there were three. and even some of these other countries pulled out of benghazi because they felt it was too dangerous. >> was there anything specific in the documents about threats to ambassador stevens? >> no specific threats to him per se. but take a look at this facebook page the committee released not only a facebook page but it was one of this extremist groups that warned not only about -- there was a picture of chris stevens -- i think we're going to bring that picture up. but also said that they were very concerned about drone attacks in libya. and there was a u.s. drone actually, wolf, that actually targeted this group in libya, one of their training camps. >> elise, thanks very much for that report. let's get to our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin. she's been talking to her sources. she's getting reaction. what are you learning, jessica? >> wolf, the white house is not

commenting on the document release, senior white house officials continue to maintain that in time officials back up what the administration was saying all along that this will prove to be not an attack that had been preplanned and in time we will probably learn that what susan rice had said on that morning show was accurate. but we will have to wait and see that over time as more intelligence comes in, wolf. >> the ranking democrat on the committee has written a blistering letter responding to the chairman issa, a letter that goes point by point by point claiming chairman issa and the republicans of the committee completely ignored sworn testimony provided to the committee, recklessly omit contradictory information from the very same documents it quotes irresponsibly promotes inaccurate information and makes numerous allegations with no evidence to substantiate them. elijah cummings, the ranking democrat, insisting this is just

republican attacks on the president right now in advance of monday night's debate. what are you hearing from the white house as far as the charges -- the countercharges that elijah cummings, the ranking democrat on this committee is making? >> they are maintaining they are reading through the documents now and don't want to comment at all while they're still going through the documents. the larger pullback on that, wolf, is that this is a political fight at this point. and they aren't going away into it at least in these hours on a friday night. but i think there's no choice but that the president will weigh-in on monday night when he's asked about this at the debate. you know it's going to be a major topic that night. >> it certainly will be. i wouldn't be surprised if it's the first item on the agenda. another matter the president is unleashing a new line of attack out there on the campaign trail. something called romnesia, what's going on? >> the president is stepping up his one-liners on the campaign trail. today he was in virginia where some early voting has started. and five times he told the crowd

of roughly 9,000 to get out and vote. a sign that the campaign is really pushing to drum up some of the enthusiasm among their crowd and turn out their people. he found a new way to deliver his message that romney has been changing positions. here it is. >> i mean, he's changing up so much and backtracking and sidestepping, we've got to name this condition that he's going through. i think -- i think it's called romnesia. that's what it's called. [ cheers and applause ] i think that's what he's going through. if you say earlier in the year i'm going to give a tax cut to the top 1% and then in a debate you say i don't know anything about giving tax cuts to rich

folks, you need to -- yeah, you need to get a thermometer, take a temperature because you probably got romnesia. >> well, wolf, the romney campaign didn't let that go unanswered. campaign advisor kevin madden issued a statement saying "president obama cannot get serious on the campaign trail. he's conducting a small campaign that fails to rise up to the big challenges the country is facing." and some of those challenges will come up at that debate as we discussed, wolf. and president obama is headed now as we speak to camp david where he will head into debate prep for this final foreign policy debate. >> interesting he decided to do the preparation at camp david this time. we'll be watching obviously getting ready for monday night. let's bring in candy crowley, whose been watching all of this unfold as well. candy, this document dump, this release of all these documents by the republican chairman of this governmental affairs

committee, darryll issa, and blistering response from the democrat elijah cummings saying it's political maneuvering, selected documents telling only part of the story. how big of an issue is this going to be? >> we'll see. obviously the reasons want to push this. they say, listen, this is about the security of a u.s. facility in benghazi. that they should have known because there had been previous attacks that there were warnings and more than that other stories out there that folks knew within 24 hours essentially what had happened or at least what sort of attack it was. so if this, you know, begins to look as though it's incompetent in the face of, you know, needing to protect u.s. interests, that's a huge problem. this is still an economy-based election. that's still what it's going to be about. but as we see it's very close. so anywhere you can get traction, and this may well be it, we'll see where it goes on monday night, any way you can get traction is where you want

to go. >> yeah. with only 18 days left to go, the closing arguments are now beginning to be made rather dra amatically. i'll play this romney ad that seems to sum up the points they want to make. >> on a collaborative basis, look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people really hurting today in this country. and we faced this deficit could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america, but we need to have leadership. leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not careless if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before. i'll do it again. >> he can bring people together. how effective is that closing argument? >> that's a swing vote kind of persuadable vote argument. it's a nice kind of calming. you know, they like to come in with some more high-minded issues. i'm told it's not his only closing argument. i couldn't get out what the next one was. but i'm assuming it will be a

mixture of this, i'm the guy that can bring everyone together, the democrats will obviously say not quite true, but it is. look what i did in massachusetts, a democratic state. i worked with them, here are the things i got done. i think the other part of romney's argument is probably, remember, i'm mr. fix it, i get the economy. we watched his poll numbers on dealing with the economy go up visa vee the president's numbers. >> there are those who suggest paul ryan being on the ticket though sort of undermines that specific closing argument. >> right. and democrats are going to suggest that. say, wait a second, let's not be fooled by this mr. moderate. they've already started that. we saw bill clinton sort of begin that assault. the moderate mitt is back. the kind of flip-flopping the romnesia, that goes to that part of the obama campaign, which is trying to undermine arguments such as i can work with folks that will bring up his record and have already brought out people that say, no, he didn't work that well with democrats. there's always going to be the

counterargument. >> what do you hear about the president's closing arguments? what is he doing? >> not a thing so far. >> really? >> he's very much on the attack as we've seen. certainly on the campaign trail. so i put in some inquiries and said what can you tell me about what your closing arguments are going to be, but we kind of almost know from the beginning. and that is, you know, sort of an old rendition of that song, the best is yet to come. it's stick with me, we're making progress, we can make more progress. >> the other argument i'm sure they're going to make and they've made it repeatedly is that remember what it was like at the tail end of the bush administration when the economy was on the verge of a deep depression, the disaster that was unfolding, you want more of that? you want to go back to that? get romney in the white house then you'll repeat that. >> right. i think they'll take the more flip side of that, the more positive side which is stick with me, i've made it better. >> good closing argument i guess. "state of the union" sunday morning. something special you're working

on? >> we are going to have bill richardson, former new mexico governor, a democrat who ran for president as well as newt gingrich. they're going to engage in a predebate debate about foreign policy. >> are you going to moderate that? >> yes, i am. >> we're looking forward to it. >> we're also going to talk about who's going to win virginia with senator mark weste wernor -- davis, tom davis. we'll talk about virginia and where it's going. >> you've had a busy week. >> i need a little more sleep. >> 9:00 a.m. sunday morning we'll be watching. thanks very, very much. and stay with cnn to watch the third and final presidential debate in florida on monday. our special coverage begins right after "the situation room" 7:00 p.m. eastern monday night. michelle obama's campaigning in wisconsin. and she's about to speak in a few minutes. when it happens, we're going there live. plus, could president obama trail in national polls but still win the election? the answer may lie in the unemployment numbers from some

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here's a question, do you want to know how president obama could trail in the national polls but still win this election? just look at the unemployment numbers in those critically important swing states. cnn's tom foreman has crunched the numbers for us. he's joining us now. what are you seeing now? >> wolf, if you look at the national map right now and you see the general breakdown of which states are likely to go republican, which likely to go democrat and which ones are in between, it's easy to look at the national unemployment figure, 7.8%, and say that could play either way for any candidate. but here's the problem, that number actually doesn't play particularly well in any given place because everyone's having their own experience of unemployment. it's what's happening in your state or your neighborhood that matters much more than the general average. if you had a national crime rate, it doesn't actually mean anything to you depending on where you live. it's just an average. so if you go beyond that and you

look at the battleground states where really this race will be decided, you see a very different picture. i want to bring up all the battleground states right now where the unemployment rate is below that national avrmg. iowa, wisconsin, ohio, virginia, all up here in new hampshire. look at these states. they're below the national average. you would think that that would probably play in president obama's favor, but that's not necessarily the case. we've been cross referencing this all day. and the polls don't really stack up this way. in some ways this is more about perception than an absolute reality. for example, mitt romney's been doing better in virginia even though their unemployment rate is pretty good. in ohio, a great battleground state, 7%, it's neck and neck, but barack obama tends to do a little bit better. why is that happening? what it probably means, wolf, is are you feeling a change where you are? for example, in places like ohio where a lot of people left state because they couldn't find jobs as jobs come in, they're filling up, people may have the

perception that it's doing better. and indeed it is slightly improved. but there's no clear sort of mason-dixon line of votes here. those are the ones below the unemployment rate. these are the ones above. in florida mitt romney and barack obama are running neck and neck. mitt romney in one of our latest polls had a one-point lead. that's within the margin of error. that may not make a difference. again, the message is how it's being sold here. north carolina has a higher rate, but one of the reasons they have a higher rate is because their economy has done pretty well and a lot of people have come to the state looking for work. that's driven their rate up while their unemployment situation has actually been somewhat better. and of course you have nevada out here. this is the worst unemployment rate in the entire country. but there's a strong union base here. there's a strong latino base here. and the question here is who do you blame for this? you'll have a lot of voters out here saying i blame this on george bush, not on barack obama. mitt romney has to sell out there the idea, yes, but barack

obama's had enough time to change it. the simple truth is, wolf, when you look at these numbers, they don't play the way you might expect them to. people can't look at this as a litmus test and say that's the way they're going to go. what you have to look at much more carefully is what is the reality of the number in that state? do people feel like their unemployment situation is getting better? or do they feel like it's getting worse? and who do they blame for whatever circumstance they're facing? that's going to be the real test, wolf. more than the absolute numbers. >> what about the states, tom, where governor romney is ahead? >> the states where he's ahead seems to be truly where he has better sold the idea that barack obama has not grappled with this problem well enough. i go back to the average, here's what the average really is good for. 7.8%, what's valuable about this is that it tells us we're in kind of a squishy zone. it's not a good unemployment rate, but it's better than it was. this is where they're battling,

for barack obama he's trying to say the only reason this is good is because i've made it that good. mitt romney, he's saying the only reason it's this bad is because he didn't make it better. states where mitt romney is ahead is the place he's been able to sell that message and people have bought it. >> tom foreman, thanks very much. the oscar winning actor, tom hanks, damaged sort of his squeaky clean image today. find out why he's apologizing. stay with us here in "the situation room."

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a down day on wall street. lisa sylvester's monitoring that, some of the other top stories in "the situation room." what happened? >> hi, wolf. the dow sank 205 points today. all three indexes down nearly 2%

marking the worst day on wall street since june. and a fire today destroyed an iconic symbol of the texas state fair. according to the dallas morning news investigators suspect an electrical problem touched off the blaze inside the giant cowboy big tex. he's been welcoming visitors to the dallas fairgrounds for some 60 years. officials promise he's going to be rebuilt better than ever. and actor tom hanks, he's probably about the last person you would expect to swear on live television. unfortunately for him though that's just what happened today on "good morning america." >> mostly it's swear words. so that's a little bit -- >> if you say it with an accident like that -- >> we are so sorry, "good morning america." >> man, oh, man. i'm sorry i slipped into a brand of acting. i have never done that before. i would apologize to the kids in america that are watching this

right now. >> we hope they're all in school. >> let me say next time on the show there will be a seven-second delay. >> okay. you heard him there. hanks apologized profusely for the slip. he's referring to his new movie "cloud atlas" that's earned an r rating. he's an actor who gets into the zone and he becomes a character. >> you've been on live television, ever happened to you? >> no, but i try to self-censor a little, wolf. >> me too. many wrote off todd akin after his remarks so-called legitimate rape. could todd akin show up in the show me state or cost republicans a sure thing in missouri? [ man ] in hong kong, on my way to the board meeting...

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stop in warsaw. >> something you see all the time, you saw it in the debate, you see it in how he carries himself as president, what he's done, it's his character. you know, i married him because of his heart. you know, his decency, his honesty, the fact he's always been someone that i could trust in so many different ways, his compassion, his conviction. you know, when i first met barack i loved that he was so committed to serving others that he turned down high paying jobs and instead he started his career working in struggling neighborhoods to help folks get back to work. it was the very first thing he was doing. and i loved just how devoted he was to his family. that meant a lot to me. especially the women in his life. because barack is surrounded by women. beau is probably the only boy in his life these days. but growing up it was the same

way. i saw the respect he had for his mother. you know, i saw how proud he was that she was able to put herself through school while still supporting he and his little sister as a single mom. and i saw the tenderness that he felt for his grandmother. he talks about her all the time. tutu, i talked about her at the convention. how grateful he was that long after she should have retired, should have been able to put her feet up, she was still waking up every morning to catch her bus to the job at the community bank. she was doing everything she could to help support his family. and he also watched as she was passed over again and again for promotions simply because she was a woman. but he also learned something very important from his grandmother. he learned the importance of getting up. because he saw her get up

everyday year after year going to that same job and doing it without complaint and without regret. and with barack i found a real connection because in his life story i saw so much of my own. growing up on the south side of chicago i watched my own father make that same uncomplaining journey every day to his job at the city water plant. and i saw how my dad carried himself with that same dignity. we all know that dignity that comes with being able to provide for your family. that same hope that his kids would one day have opportunities he could only dream of. and here's the thing, like so many families in this country, our families just weren't asking for that much.

that's the darn thing. our folks didn't want much. they didn't begrudge anyone else's success. they didn't mind if others had much more than they did. they didn't care about that. in fact, they admired it. and that's why they pushed us to be the best people we could be. but what they did believe was in that fundamental american promise that even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and your grand kids. >> the first lady speaking at a rally for her husband in wisconsin. we'll continue to monitor what she has to say. we'll take a quick break. much more on the race to the white house. and some of the key political races for the senate and the house, there are dramatic developments unfolding right now including some ugly and nasty words being exchanged. gift box trinidad shopping cart trilogy

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in missouri the senate candidate, the republican todd akin is still trying to rebound from that disastrous comment he made about so-called legitimate rape. the debacle could cost him his missouri race against the democrat claire mccaskill, but you wouldn't know it from last night's heated debate. congressional correspondent kate bolduan has been looking at this race closely. kate, what do you see? >> wolf, it was the final face-off in this long hard-fought battle for a seat being watched as key to the balance of power struggle in the senate. and it was a debate with one glaring absence. the attack lines were clear. democratic senator claire mccaskill making a final pitch

to defend her seat tried to paint her opponent as too extreme. >> moderate versus conservative. >> senator. >> moderate versus extreme. i think there's a very big choice for missourians to make. mccaskill is in lock step with president obama. >> claire mccaskill was the first to endorse barack obama. and she was his strong right hand passing legislation voting with him 98% of the time. >> reporter: but one noticeable absence from the hour long debate, barely a mention of the controversial legitimate rape comment in august that catapulted this missouri senate race into the national spotlight. >> first of all, from what i understand from doctors, that's really rare. if it's a legit mate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. >> reporter: akin apologized. no surprise mccaskill made it an issue of focus for subsequent campaign ads. >> on august 19th todd akin said only some rapes are legitimate.

what will he say next? >> as a woman of faith, i must forgive todd akin, but as a voter, it's not something i can forget. >> reporter: despite intense pressure from even the very top of the gop ticket, he refused to drop out of the race. >> and i have one purpose going into november and that's replacing claire mccaskill. >> reporter: democratic leaning polls now have mccaskill with a double-digit lead while republican pollsters still show a much tighter race. >> earlier this summer republicans thought the missouri senate race was the one they had in the bag. they were going to win this race hands down and grab back a seat from the democrats. since the controversy with congressman akin, no, not a sure bet at all. >> meaning what's also definitely not a sure bet is the republicans chances to taking back control of the senate, which is why this race was so closely watched. also noted by many reporters following debate last night, potentially blunting some of the impact of this final debate for either candidate, major league baseball, the playoff game between the st. louis cardinals and san francisco giants was

happening at the same time. claire mccaskill made a joke about having people hold up their fingers for the score during the debate. >> see you in a few minutes, kate. >> okay. >> thanks very, very much. the republican effort to win over women may be harder for another reason. the illinois congressman, joe walsh, is under fire for saying that abortion can never save a woman's life. it's the latest stumble for the republican candidate. walsh already trailed the democrat tammy duckworth in polls. >> there's a lot of twists and turns with this story. representative walsh, he held a news conference late this afternoon. and he says he is still firmly against abortion. but he acknowledged that there may be rare, very rare cases where to save the life of the mother where it would be okay to terminate a pregnancy. he was clearly trying to clarify some of the comments he'd made last night after congressional debate.

>> if a woman's life is at issue, would you say she should not have an abortion? >> let me briefly say there's no such exception. with modern technology and science, you can't find one instance -- >> do you mean to say it's never medically necessary to do an abortion to save the life of a mother? >> absolutely. yes, what else, folks? >> walsh saying there isn't any instance where a woman's life is at issue that would necessitate an abortion. during the debate he says he believes "the health of the mother has become a tool for abortions any time under any reason." at a friday news conference he seemed to walk back from those comments. >> when such occurrences take place, that decision on whether to perform that procedure is a very difficult one and one that should be left up to the mother and her family. >> he talked about procedures that might be necessary. now, he also said that advances in science and modern technology have brought things to a point

where abortions aren't medically necessary. >> walsh was under fire for his initial statement. >> i think absolutely there are very few people who agree with representative walsh. and in fact representative walsh is so ignorant of the facts in this case, again, the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists have made clear this is absolutely something that happens in pregnancy. we've seen real life examples where real womens lives were at risk and sometimes lost. >> in that statement the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists saying "abortions are necessary in a number of circumstances to save the life of a woman or to preserve her health. unfortunately, pregnancy is not a risk-free life event. particularly for many women with chronic medical conditions, despite all of our medical advances, more than 600 women die each year from pregnancy and childbirth related reasons right here in the u.s." another group, the american association of pro-life obstetricians and gynecologists

doesn't support aborting a fetus but says it might be medically necessary to "separate mother and baby." >> there's no case where direct abortion is needed to save the life of a mother. you can separate the mother from the baby with the intent to save the life of the mother and also try to treat the baby if that's -- if the baby is old enough to allow it to live at the time of separation. >> walsh is running against tammy duckworth in a largely democratic district where congressional lines were redrawn. he's considered to be the underdog. these are not his first controversial comments. he's called president obama a tyrant. and on the house floor said the u.s. should put motes and al ga gators among the border. >> i think he's going to say what's at the top of his mind, tip of his tongue no matter what the repercussions are. >> they come on the heels of controversial remarks of todd akin of missouri as you heard he

suggested that in "a legitimate rape a woman's body would take care of terminating the pregnancy." he's not the same thing. it's still receiving a lot of attention on the blogs and elsewhere. >> yeah. last thing mitt romney needs right now what walsh is saying, what todd akin has said, a huge, huge embarrassment for the republican candidate. >> that's right. >> thanks very much. with only 18 days to go until the presidential election what's happened to all of mitt romney's one-time rivals who dropped out and endorsed him? are they really being effective? are they at all being seen out there on the campaign trail for him? are they traveling around the country? we'll assess. so... [ gasps ]

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he's forgetting what a his own positions are. and he's betting that you will too. i mean, he's changing up so much and backtracking and sidestepping. we've got to -- we've got to name this condition that he's going through. i think -- i think it's called romnesia. >> a new line of attack from the president. let's get to our strategy session. joining us now our cnn contributor, the democratic strategist, donna brazile, also the republican strategist, terry holt. good new line, don't you think, terry, from the president? >> very, very cute. i'm not sure that it's going to break the problem that he's got that people are thinking about the economy and its failed foreign policies, but it's a cute line for a speech. >> donna, what do you think about this -- do these really have impacts when they come up

with these clever lines? when the president says he's interested in wall street, not sesame street and all that kind of stuff. >> oh, it might stick, wolf, because in truth mitt romney is running from his previous record, whatever that was because he constantly change it. but the facts remain the same is that mitt romney was a moderate who became an extreme severe conservative and trying to become a moderate again. we wake up tomorrow morning and he's a liberal, but don't worry he'll be conservative on sunday. >> i saw john mccain. he's doing a lot of campaigning for mitt romney. he's been in new hampshire in the past few days, a critically important battleground state even though it only has a few electoral college votes. but so many of the other republican presidential candidates, they occasionally make an appearance whether rick santorum or newt gingrich or michele bachmann, her man cain, you don't see them on a high level out there.

what's going on here? is it because they don't want to campaign for mitt romney? or he doesn't want them to campaign for him? >> well, your surrogates need to play a strong and important role in the campaign. republicans traditionally have . republicans have traditionally relied on a team of governors. president bush relied on a a-team. you have governor mcdonald, marco rubio in florida has been a big draw. rob portman, the senator from ohio. these people have the policy chops, they have been strong in supporters for mitt romney from the beginning. the guys that run for president, and the ladies with due respect to them, they had their time in the sun. mitt romney's time is to close this case with a team of politicians, leaders of the

republican party that can help him promote his message, and that's what this is all about. >> is that what it's all about? because you don't see mitt romney out there with newt gingrich or michele bachmann or other republican candidates. you don't see them jointly unlike four years ago when we saw hillary clinton out there at the end after she lost to senator barack obama. >> michele bachmann is not going to help him. ron paul could energize a few people. newt beginning rich is on campaign but not to promote mitt romney. of course you want your lead singer to have people that know the tune, but mitt romney continues to change the tune, so no one knows what message is.

>> and mccain was in new hampshire because mccain is a beloved political figure, with strong chops. you go where people can help you. and newt gingrich is a very divisive figure. we're putting our best faces forward. >> guys, thanks very much, john mccain will be among our guests here monday. he has debated both mitt romney and president obama. we'll get his insight looking ahead. being president doesn't just mean hard decisions and tough choices. sometimes you have to be the commander and chief and the comedian and chief. we have plenty more where this came from. [ ross ] in the taihang mountains of china,

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for a few brief moments, voters got a dose of comic relief. president obama and mitt romney sharing the same stage. >> i'm glad to be able to join in this tradition. i'm pleased that the president is here. we were chatting pleasantly as if tuesday night never happened. i was hoping the president would bring joe biden along this evening because he'll laugh at anything. >> everyone, please take your seats otherwise clint eastwood will yell at them. it's been four years since i was last at the al smith dinner, and

i have to admit sop things have changed. some say barack, you're not as young, where is that golden sty smile, and i say calm down, joe, i'm trying to have a cabinet meeting. there's a lot of out fit changes, but it's nice to wear tonight what we wear around the house. it's not about the disagreements that governor romney and i may have, it's about getting together with our unusual names. mitt is his middle name, i wish i could use my middle name -- >> people seem to be very curious as to how we prepare for

the debates. let me tell you what i do. first refrain from alcohol for 65 years before the debate. second, find the biggest available straw man and attack it, big bird did not see it coming. and by the way, in the spirit of sesame street, the president's remarks are brought to you tonight by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. >> as some of you may have noticed, i had a lot more energy in the second debate. i felt really well rested after the nice long nap i had in the first debate. >> let's just say that some in the media have a certain way of looking at things. when suddenly i pulled ahead in some of the major polls, what

was the headline? polls showing obama leading from behind. and i've already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. headline "obama embraced by catholics, romney dines with rich people." >> i'm still making the most of my time in the city. earlier today i went shopping at some stores in midtown, i understand governor romney went shopping for some stores in midtown. >> it would be easy to let a healthy competition give ato the personal and petty, but we don't carry the burden of disliking one another. our president has had some very fine and gracious moments, don't tell anyone i said so, but he has gifts that would make any man proud. >> i particularly want to thank governor romney for joining me

because i admire him very much as a family man and loving father, and those are two titles that will always matter more than any political ones. so -- the candidates meet for their final debate in florida, our live coverage begins monday evening at 7:00 p.m. eastern. and the presidential fight for florida heats up. why it could be the year 2000 all over again. house remembers release photos and documents to show that libya was vulnerable to attack. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." ♪

two-and-a-half weeks before election day and republicans are pouring fuel on a growing controversy for president obama. dozens of documents were just reraced relates to the september 11th attack on the embassy in libya. republicans say it supports claims there was a shortage of security in the dip mlomatic mission, and that washington was sent repeated warnings. they released photos of the concentrate late after a previous attack back in june showing expensive damage to the building. congressman issa and chaffetz says that not only rejected increased security, but they actually decreased security there to dangerous levels.

. elia cummings says it ignores sworn test, has inaccurate information, and making numerous unsubstantiated allegations. this coming after a report that they were warned within 24 hours. let's bring in chris lawrence, what are you learning? >> we're learning from a u.s. intelligence official that yes, there may have been memos or other documents that indicated that it was possible that this was conducted by militants, but that some of the argument reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how the process works. what i mean by that is this intelligence official is saying it's rare that one stream of intelligence will influence and direct an entire report.

they're pooling multiple streams together, and while this theme may have existed, there are other things they were looking at as well. they put out a talking points memo to congress and to administration officials to give them some basis from which to talk about this incident. now the chair of the senate intelligence committee, senator diane feinstein said putting out those talking points may have been a mistake at that time. we're told that at the time when susan rice came out and said this was a spontaneous attack, that the intelligence was shifting underneath her at that time, but not to the point where they would revise a report to give to her to change that overall assessment. i know it sounds confusing, but basically, there was some initial intelligence that was shifting as she made that rea

mark. the intelligence would have caught up and changed the narrative a bit. >> chris, you saw that article in the "new york times" today saying one of the key people behind the attack is in plain sight in benghazi, what do you know about him? >> well, reporters on the scene there in libya spoke with him in plain sight at a coffee shop. he seemed very relaxed, showed no fear about, you know, possibly being apprehended or targeted by libyan or u.s. authorities. he is reportedly in some reports been linked to the group. that is suspected of having something to do with the attack on ambassador stevens, but he denied that. he said he had nothing to do with it, that he was there, but did not command that attack. from our sources, we know that intelligence officials have been

aware of him for some time, and that from other officials we heard they do have eyes on this group. in other words, they've got surveillance on this group that is believed to be based near benghazi, and they're speaking to libyans on the ground, but at this time, they're not in a position to say he is the one who commanded the group that led this attack. >> chris lawrence at the pentagon, thanks very much. kate baldwin is here with us as well. the chairman of the house intelligence committee mike rogers is joining us. is this guy supposedly out there in plain sight the individual or one of the individuals that killed these americans in benghazi? >> it's very likely that he had something to do with the operation. there have individual report that's had him on the ground on the day of the attack. some of that is still being vetted to make sure that's accurate. but as the picture starts to

unfold, it just doesn't look good that he was not involved in some way in this attack. >> the document that's were released today by your counter part, the chairman of the governmental affairs committee are being condemned by the ranking democrat. pretty bitter saying these documents were released irresponsibleably, promoting inaccurate information. what do you think about all of this? you have been very responsible, and i know there is a more feeling. >> they're asking those hard difficult questions. i think the evidence as they law it out is not very latering at the end of the day -- >> latering to? >> the administration. >> the ambassador did not say i don't feel safe here, and we

have another set of issues. on the intelligence side, lots of information that showed selling that moved in and out of libya. you saw them developing itself and recruiting. we saw al-qaeda almosts, all of this happening all the the same time. and this threat information was well presented up to the 9/11 day of the attack. and i will tell you that we were in possession, we, being the intelligence committee, within 12 hours of this attack, that said nothing about a common station. said nothing about a spontaneous event, and if you look at all of the information leading up to 9/11 from an intelligence perspective, it's really confounding how you can come to a conclusion and then promote it for days in the face of all of that information that this was about a video -- >> and i agree with you that

there are two distinct lines of questioning going on, the squurt question and the question for security, and the intelligence leading up to the night of the attack, and i know you have seen far more than what was released, do you think there is negligence here, or do you think as i think secretary clinton said recently that it was a fog of war scenario, that there was misinformation coming out at the beginning. >> i have to tell you -- i hate to come to the conclusion, i don't think they understood the gravity of what was happening. nine days after 9/11, think about all of the threat information that we were talking about existing. probably with weapons from libya, all of this is happening, all of that information is presented, and in a perhap strain, the physical security of the embassy, and the ambassador is happening. nine days into that, they use

taxpayer dollars to advertise this video in pakistan than all of the other countries that fuelled the fire. it caused huge problems. so we saw embassies all across the region under protest and seeing. some accusations now that maybe al qaeda was part of those, it seemed maybe they didn't understand the gravity of their actions. >> i went back, the incident occurred, the ambassador and others who were killed, two retired navy seals, it happens on the anniversary of 9/11. we were here together on september 12th. the day after, i had been working my u.s. sources, libyan sources, you were working yours, we had this exchange, listen --

it does look like a pretty sophisticated assassination effort to kill the united states ambassador. so was it time to coincide with the 11th anniversary of 9/11? >> i'm an old fbi guy, and i don't believe in lots of coincidences on the same day, so it looks like that to me. >> and it looked like it to me, so the question is, do you still believe that? >> i do. this was clearly an attack. i think it was geared toward a 9/11 event. they had blocking forces, they had artillery that many believed -- >> it was so obvious, the question that perplexes me, is why did it take so long for the u.s. intelligence community, forget about the obama

administration, the intelligence community, supposedly the best in the world, why did it take them so long to come to the same conclusion that you and i came to within 24 hours of what happened? >> i want to say that we the committee were in possession of information that, provided by the intelligence community, that said this was a military style attack within less than 24 hours. >> when were you sure that these protests didn't exist, that this was premeditated? >> it was probably into the next week. the information being laid out to us, and people that i talked to, that it was rolling out that that narrative didn't fit what was happening. and here is the important part of this, bad decisions were made because of it. it's not just about the physical

security. bad decisions were made because of the narrative they were talking about. escalating that to a level, buying ads in pakistan that fuelled protests across pakistan. they had not seen the video. this is what is so disturbing to me about it. it's hard to say yes, so why did they do it? >> that's the question we have to get answered. >> it's so perplexing to me, and we have to leave it here, is five days later, just before the u.s. ambassador in the united nations went on five shows, the intelligence community told her and she repeated it on television five days later when it was apparent to many experts it was a carefully coordinated effort. >> that's what we're trying to

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we have new video coming in from a deadly attack in the middle east today. a huge car bomb ripped through the capital in beirut. it killed a top lebanese official. after today's bombing, security officials saying unrest spreads to other parts of lebanon. the violence raising fears that they're trying to promote instability in lebanon to turn attention away from the blood

shed in his own country. let's bring in fareed, is this slaughter in syria now spreading to lebanon, but to turkey and maybe other countries in the neighborhood? >> absolutely, wolf. it's been said that syria doesn't implode, it's explodes. the other piece is the number of those who have fled from syria. the reason this is important is because in turkey at that border, the whole ontonimous. you're getting a greater stand, which is almost erasing come of

the boundaries that have been drawn by the british and french after world war one. the whole state system is coming unglued. >> a very worrisome situation, and the intelligence chief killed in that car bombing today, his father was assassinated back in 2005 as you know in another car bombing. they're blaming a bitter critic of this president. do you buy that syria, itself, was responsible for killing this intelligence chief to send a signal? >> it's almost certain there is some syrian involvement here. syria has very, very deep connections. as you say, the enemies are exactly -- this would have been the right guy to get, assad has down this in the past, and it is clearly trying to put the whole

region on edge and say if you continue what i think he is doing is sending a signal and saying if you really want to play this game and continue to fund the insurgency in syria, we'll make sure this spreads and it will spread in lebanon. the gulf states are very, very cautious. so they're saying we can upset all of this if you continue to support them. >> you arrived in demascus once again, i don't know if it will lead to anything, do you believe the united nations special envoy, with a special respected diplomat will be able to do anything? >> i'm not sure he will be able to do any of that work. it strikes me that the military options here are very, very difficult. but this regime is fighting to

the bitter end because it feels, probably correctly, that when it leaves, the sunnis in syria will turn on them, and they will be ma ma massacred. so they are fighting to the bitter end. how you break that die nam sick a very tough question. >> what could the u.s. be doing about this? >> i the we have to start thinking about other options short of military intervention. should we be trying to create a government in exile? i think military intervention is very complex, but there may be other ways we can be very active. >> thank you for coming in as always. >> thank you, wolf. >> be sure to join him sunday

night for his "global lessons." what could the u.s. be doing to reduce it's dependence on foreign oil. that's 8:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. and president obama has a new phrase, and a brand new poll from the swing state of florida. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪

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coming out from florida showing the presidential vase neck and neck right now. it shows mitt romney with 49%, president obama with 48%. the two candidates are also in a dead heat in florida among those critical independent voters. >> the remembers are making a full court press in florida today. mitt romney and paul ryan and ann romney all came paining around the state. vice president biden will be there as well. and it's the sight of the final presidential debate on monday. let's go to our national political correspondent. romney and ryan have a rally this evening, hi, jim. >> one end of the i-4 corridor. the ultimate swing area for what is the ultimate swing state, and even though it's a little early, we're starting to hear the makingings of the closing arguments from both campaigns.

president obama saying mitt romney doesn't have a core, and romney saying the president doesn't have a plan. >> while mitt romney prepared for his final debate with president obama, his running mate, paul ryan, travelled across florida testing out the campaign's message for the next battle to come. >> president obama is not telling you what his second term plan would be. he's not sayin that he's offering anything new. all he is offering is four more years of the same. >> we have to work on a collaborative basis. >> another part of that swing state pitch can be found in this new romney campaign ad that casts him as a bipartisan problem solver. >> we need to have leadership, leadership in washington that will bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. >> it's a change in tone for a candidate who once called

himself a severely conservative governor during the primaries, propertying the president to talk about romney's etch-a-sketch past. >> we need a name, i think it's romnesia. >> they're showing the job less rate dropping in florida, nevada, ohio, and wisconsin. romney had a joke for the improving economy at a benefit dinner in new york. >> friday's map reads like a calendar, more candidates and surrogates flooding into battlegrounds. >> the american people are so much better, so much stronger, take so much more responsibility and neither congressman ryan or governor romney give him credit for. >> after picking president obama four years ago, the "orlando

sentinel" picks romney saying we have little confidence in obama fixing the economy in the next four years. in daytona beach where a biker con vens is in town for the weekend, florida voters are getting revved up. >> i'm undecided, leaning towards romney though? >> why is that? >> because i'm not crazy about what obama has done in a nutshell. >> i really don't like romney that much. >> as for that one liner from the president that mitt romney is suffering from romnesia, we have a response, he says that the president is conducting a small campaign that fails to rise up to the big challenges that the country is facing. tough talk from the romney campaign. and as to where these two

campaigns are headed after the debate, no surprise here they're heading to swing states. they will be where else? in florida? >> that's exactly what we'll be seeing right to the end. thanks, jim. >> early voting under way right now, and it will be a huge factor in the 2012 battleground states. let's look at ohio and if early ballots are giving us a hint of who is winning. john king, you're just back, literally from ohio. >> yes, it's a growing trend, more and more people are voting early and the campaigns are putting more and more effort into turning them out. in ohio, they get a big boost out of cleveland. government and african-americans give a boost around cleveland. it's getting critical here. and we need your support.

>> reporter: for the obama campaign, priority one is reaching less reliable voters like college students and african-americans. >> i'm calling because it's time for early voting. >> questions for absentee ballots are running well ahead as both campaigns push to maximize turnout. >> we're calling to see if you will be giving mitt romney your support in this election. >> more than half of the ballots requested are by voters not registered by either party. >> you don't get a sense of who is winning early voting? >> i don't. i have to find out, let's wait to election night. 7:31 p.m. when the first results come in. >> it's the first clue if they get the edge they need here. >> when did you know four years ago? >> we knew right away when the

absentee numbers came in four years ago that it would not be a good night for us. >> 2008 was the first time since 1964 that hamilton county went blue for president. and it's very different this year. >> absentee is great, better than four years ago. we had volunteers come in from 15 different states to work the grounds here and we didn't have that four years ago. >> back then, the african-american neighborhoods buzzed with a chance to make history. >> is it harder this time? >> i think it is. >> and then this, the blunt message or warning suddenly appeared around cincinnati paid for by a private foundation. >> it's strategically placed to target a certain segment of people. two is there has been voter confusion in ohio. when they're going to be able to vote, who gets to vote --

>> initially furious, she now sees a silver lining. >> it's now turned into motivation, and people see it not just about the president, they see it now as an an tack on them. >> less worry now she says that turnout will be too low to carry hamilton county again. >> if it's blue? >> we win ohio, we win the presidency. >> if so, she says this anonymous warning may be an anonymous gift. >> no question out of ohio the president has a lead. i informs cincinnati for most of the area yesterday, wolf, kate, it is very, very close. i can give you math and scenarios, but it's almost impossible. and the thing that frustrates republicans is for all they have done, the president has hung on to a two or three point lead and

they know they can't give up on it. >> romney campaign does now too, they're moving from north carolina to ohio. >> it is, you know, we can come up with all of the names that we want. they're looking at other ways to get there. they realize that i have to try to change it in 18 days. >> thank you so much. >> from ohio to wisconsin, paul ryan's home state, heading there to find out what those crucial women voters are looking for. drill sound chirping electric shaver shaking remote tapping sound shaking drill chirping tapping shaking remote wouldn't it be great to have one less battery to worry about? car honking irping the 2012 sonata hybrid. the only hybrid with a lifetime hybrid battery warranty. from hyundai.

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president obama may have the advantage in the important swing state of wisconsin. >> a new poll shows the president with a six point lead over his challenger mitt romney, of course. some republicans hope the edition of native son paul ryan to the republican ticket will help them win wisconsin. the state is likely to remain in play all the way up to election day. >> here we are milking cows in

racine, wisconsin. this is a county and state in play in a place that has not voted for a republican since reagan in 1984. this family has farmed here since cleveland was president. they have run the family dairy for 16 years. >> look there. >> twice a day, 3:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. they milk their cows. they want to expand, but it's pricey and government debt acts like an anchor on the economy. >> i have a pretty good idea. >> but still could change it? >> could change it. >> anything could change. >> so what is it they want out of the white house? >> it will take someone that wants to strap on their big boy

boots and really take charge and say look, we're in a world of hurt, we need change. >> voters here take elections seriously, turnout is high, and most voters independent. >> to give you an idea of how swinging wisconsin is, these counties voted for george bush in 2000 and 2004. those same counties voted obama in 2008. there are more bush to obama swing county tips in wisconsin than any other state. >> even in the same family, votes split. >> i'm voting for romney. >> you think because his business credentials? >> yes, he is a businessman first. >> did you make up your mind? >> no, i have no clu who i would vote for, it teeters. >> four years ago, this mother and daughter starting their own bakery. the business grew in a bigger space and with three new employees. >> are social or economic issues bigger for you? >> i have to go with our

country, but social issues are important. it's not anybody's right to tell a woman what they can or can't do with their body. >> carol rents out most of her farmland and says she works harder than ever. >> do you have any sense for the campaign at this point? >> yes. >> five women, one state, both campaigned in overdrive working for their votes in the final stretch. >> a few hours after we shot that story, one of the heifers gave birth to two bulls, and they are named mitt and barack. very, very cute indeed. stay with cnn to watch the third and final presidential debate in florida on monday, join us in the situation and then at 7:00

p.m. eastern for live coverage, stay with us, getting ready to hear from the first lady of the united states, michelle obama. [ woman ] it's 32 minutes to go time, and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well.

the death toll from the meningitis outbreak is widening. u.s. health officials say 21 have died now linked to the

contaminated drug. 14,000 people in 23 states could be at risk from the injected steroid traced to the new england come poipounding center. authorities in michigan are asking the public for help for who is shooting at vehicles in detroit. 15 apparently random shootings took place between tuesday and last night. the incidents took place in three counties between detroit and east lansing. listen. no one has been hurt yet, and we want to take every action that's available both resource and partnership wise to make sure no one gets hurt. it's very concerning and we don't want anyone to get hurt and par rise the area. >> the detroit news says many of

the motorist report shots coming at it from a vehicle coming at it from the opposite direction. a doctor with the pittsburgh steelers has been charged with illegally prescribing drugs. the doctor faces a 185 count indictment for dispensing steroids and other drugs. he says he used growth hormones to heal people with tendon injuries, but it didn't involve the steelers. and for all of you football fans and college recruiters out there, a high school player kicked a 67-yard field goal last night which beats the nfl's record. i'm told this took them to overtime for a win. >> i think he has a big future ahead of him. >> he has a huge future on the football field.

that's quite the kick. congratulations. earlier we told you about a dead heat in florida right now. the democrat party chairwoman happens to be there, erin burnett will have her at the top of the hour. this is l be news, not something that debby wants to hear, and the president's drop among women voters with ab we're going to talk about early voting. an amazing statistic today, john mccain actually won the state of north carolina on election day 58% of the people that voted that day voted for him, but barack obama won the state because of early voting and his margin was 14,000 votes. can early voting have already turned this election. all of that coming up at the top of the hour.

>> looking forward to a good turn out, it will be critical. see you at the top of the hour. >> with their husbands concentrating on predebate home work, the wives are on the campaign trail. can restore testosterone levels back to normal in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet, or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied,

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michelle obama is blazing the campaign trail in the key battleground state of wisconsin today, furiously making the case for her husband with just a little more than two weeks to go before the election. >> we got 18 days left. and i know you all are glad about that. and i know you're going to be out there. i know there may be people here still making up their minds, but

when people ask you what this president has done for our country, you know, when you're talking to people trying to decide which of these candidates will be best to keep this country moving forward, here are the things to tell them. start with telling them about the millions of jobs that this president has created. tell them about all of the kids in this country who can finally afford college. tell them about the millions of lives that will be changed because of health reform. tell them how this president ended the war in iraq. took out osama bin laden! tell them how barack has been fighting for veterans and military families to make sure they get the benefits they have earn earned! tell them about all of the young

immigrants who will no longer live in fear of being deported from the only country they have ever called home. >> meanwhile, ann romney didn't speak at any big rallies, but she was in the critically important battleground state of florida. she visited a youth learning center, which you're seeing here. later, she stopped by a local campaign office to make phone calls. all this ahead of monday's third and final presidential debate in boca raton, florida. did we mention our special coverage will begin at 7:00 p.m. right after "the situation room"? >> at 7:00 p.m. >> eastern. it begins, 4:00 p.m. pacific. >> thank you for the reminder. it's great to have both of those women out on the campaign trail. the president and mitt romney's best advocate when they're trying to go after the female vote for sure. >> excellent campaigners. >> yes, they are. a young man in need of work plays his heart out on broadway.

we'll hear from the traveling piano man, coming up. everyone in the nicu, all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment.

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you often see street musicians trying to make a few extra dollars around. one man is doing some heavy lifting to get more. ♪ >> reporter: when he says he plays on broadway, he means it. >> it's one thing to sit here and play music and collect money from people. but it's another to come on the streets and have a meeting. have a purpose. >> which is what? >> to think about, to be a little bit creative with life and to maybe think outside the box. >> this 26-year-old tried just about everything to make it in this economy. acting, driving, day trading, nothing worked. so, he turned his hobby of hitting the keys into a full time job. >> i really love this, it's

brought me so much happiness. it's changed my life. >> his journey starts here. ♪ you went the distance. >> yeah, i went all the way to seattle. >> three road trips in a little more than a year. making up to $350 a day on a cl cliff overlooking yellow stone national park. inside a redwood tree in california and he doesn't go at it alone. brando, his dog, is always nearby. >> the last trip i did, i did a one-month tour of the northeast and canada starting with only $2 and one gallon of gas and ended up doing a full circle. i played on the streets of i think 11 cities and came back with 2400 bucks. >> today, he's traveling about three blocks to union square, in

new york. but try doing it while pushing 450 pound piano. you must get some crazy looks. >> when i first started doing this, i used to be so embarrassed. this is actually help me build up my confidence. >> and it shows. ♪ he not only plays to the crowd, they join in, too. ♪ he tells his story. >> just go on forf. >> what do you think about this? >> i love it. and the dog's been somewhere i never been. >> that, he says, is that wha makes this worthwhile. >> someone said you know what's so great about you, it's that you're happy. >> a poster boy for the 99%, spends 100% of his time doing what he loves. >> looks like more fun than being a day trader. >> i was thinking the the